I went to visit my hometown over the long July 4 weekend (a small town named Brooklyn in the NE corner of Connecticut) and on a whim, I decided to swing by Logee's, a local greenhouse, in Danielson, CT on my way home.
This is a great trip if you are looking to get out of the city:
However, I felt like those Bigfoot hunters do, the ones who have problems with their cameras. They come back with big stories and a blurry photo that could very well be their wife running out of the shower, wrapped in a fuzzy towel.
This is a greenhouse with a long history (100 years+) that has anything and EVERYTHING, and is well-known especially with orchid growers. The moment I arrived I knew I should snap photos.
We were on a mission to find a few good houseplants for our back reading room (north and west light).
On that day we were helped by a woman named Jody, who reminded us of why these rural shops are so special. She spent as much time with us as we needed, gave us a wealth of information, and was never pressuring us to buy. Somehow she felt like an extension of the greenhouse; possibly they also grow their own workers, too?
But the battery light was blinking, only a limited time before my digital camera would leave me high and dry. Her enthusiasm was infectious and we soon found ourselves imagining plants in all of our rooms.
The greenhouses are a mixture of large, old growth (not for sale) that has become a part of the architecture of the greenhouses, and new growth that is put out for purchase. It feels as if you are shopping in a tropical rainforest, a fantasy place that you might have seen in a childhood dream.
After showing us other options, Jody led us to begonias. At first I yawned because it seems as if that is what you find in every flower shop in the city, What I did not know is how many varieties there are, and how many Logee's would have. We walked away with three different varieties, all looking like they could never be related.
We also bought a flowering maple, which does very well in partial sun and has beautiful, papery, poppy-like blossoms. Ours is flourishing after only two weeks at home, even after our cat, Popcorn, ate all of the delicious blossoms (bad kitty!). Jody also helped us to pick plants that would not harm our cats. We picked up different herbs, like thyme, oregano and mint, which look great when potted together. We even purchase a small flowering cactus that is enjoying its spot in our one sunny area.
And catnip. It does well in low light and has been giving our cats a constant buzz. Jody suggested it as a hanging plant so that the cats will only munch on what dangles, since cats will eat it down to the roots and then sit on top of it if given the chance. She also suggested papyrus, but it was bigger than what we could bring back.
Logee's has an online store and will ship to you (do a search for begonias and see how many they have!). They also are available by phone if you need advice on caring for what you ordered. Everything you order online is plucked right from their greenhouses and packed in their shop. But there is nothing like visiting to inspire you to grow your own plants, and get firsthand advice from employees like Jody.
What we learned from her is that you can focus on growing just one type of plant as a way to build up your basic knowledge. Begonias are great because there is so much variety and they are fairly hearty - a good chance you will have great success.
We also got advice on repotting, which you can do right at the store. They have a potting station with free soil (see photos). Repotting is only necessary after a plant has outgrown its pot. If you put a plant in too big of a pot too quickly, it can be bad for its health. Plants thrive when they have JUST enough room for the roots and proper drainage. The soil needs to be packed evenly, with no air pockets - mold can build up in these areas and kill the roots.
She also showed us that you can weigh down a pot for a top-heavy plant by putting a rock or ceramic pieces in the bottom. Once you have this down you can start enjoying your plants and taking care of them as they grow. MN
I have to echo Matt's enthusiasm for this place. I've been there a few times, and each time it makes me think I have a much greener thumb than I do, it's so enchanting. They also have a great selection of scented geraniums, which for some reason are becoming difficult to find at other places.
I've ordered from them online, and their products and service are great. Their catalog is pretty amazing, too.
I think I have that flowering cactus pictured. It fades from green to maroon in color. I abuse that thing and it still blooms!
Been shopping from Logee's for a couple of years via mail-order. I recently visited the greenhouses. OMG, I felt like I was in heaven. A gardeners paradise. It was great to see things up close and personal to really get an idea of what they'll look like or behave like at home.
I'm heading back there today to get a taste of spring, and of course shop! I'm so glad to be living within driving distance now!
3/19/2006
I have been a fan of Logees for almost 30 years. When I lived in Manhattan I drove 2 hrs just to get there, it was like going to a candy store, I was hooked. Even though I now live in Santa Fe, NM I still buy from Logees, I hope they g on for another 100 years Byron and his staff are great. Thanks Logees
Cheers...Joseph Frank Baraba
Logee's is unparalleled. I may have to find another job so that I can keep collecting flowers from them. I just bought a new home and I have spent more at Logee's than at Lowe's or Home Depot!
Question: best fertlizer for Bananas,heliconia
tropical fruit trees???
Since I live on the other side of the country
I have never been to Logee's. But I have a lot
of plants I have purchased from them over the
years. My house is a jungle, with cats, dogs
tortoises, fish, gecko's and yes even a bunny
residing somewhere within it. I have trained the
cats to leave the plants alone, and grow catnit
out on a sunporch for them. Bunny Bugsybrown
is on another sunporch with the birds and some
up out of reach catus and succulents.
My winters are full of gardening in window
sills, and then summer all goes outside on the decks to grow and boy the plants love the
dappled light, and sun.
I love my Logee's plants!
I would like a catalog, Please.
Shana Cree
801 w.Oklahoma
Sweetwater, Tx
79556
I ordered citrus plants early in the winter or late last fall. They are now loaded with buds! They have an enchanting catalog. Here in lower South Jersey, I can leave my brugmansia in the ground and it returns in the spring to bloom again!
I love Logee's. I discovered it quite accidentally online, and knew I just had to see this place. One day my Husband (after a lot of begging), kids and I made the hour + trip across CT, and believe me, it's it. We've been back twice more. They are always there to answer my questions, and I have had the best of luck- with the sound advice given me by the staff at Logee's. My first two batches of plants have made it past the one year mark! I don't buy myself expensive clothes, shoes, bags, etc., I buy plants at Logee's. That's my treat. (Plants don't go out of style, but they smell good)
I have been a fan of logee's for 38 years, and firmly belive there is nothing anywhere that compares. A visit can be dangerous however, I used to tell folks they practically
have to give you a machete at the door it's such a jungle in there !! The smells from the 100 year
old honeysuckle and lemon trees are intoxicating and the only excuse I offer for always leaving broke but happy.
Logee's you rock, being I live in North West MN, I grew up in South Eastern MI, Mt. Clemens, MI and the summers are longer, and winters milder where I'm sure some of your sub tropicals would thrive, after being babied for a time, and I've seen some sub tropicals growing in SE MI, being certain jasmines, cactus that grows in the tropical deserts of AZ, not to mention banana plants and yes figs not to mention pecan trees. Being that SE MI climate is like what you have right there on the NE coast there, maybe a degree or two cooler, maybe a half zone cooler, and the mildest being the Great Lakes gives the region a mild marine like climate and milder than St Louis to the south. In all I mean to say (sorry about the rabbit trail) I love your plants and I'll be buying more. Like Eric said, (broke, but happy) I live for plants, and love the different scents most give up. Keep them plants coming and I'll keep buying, plus your catalouges are a wealth of info, love them. Merry Christmas and have a blessed and bountiful New Year, and see you next year with more plants for me to buy from you, keep up the great work, and I've told other people about you who I speak highly of, you do me proud all the time when it comes to plants, and again many thanks. Keep going for another three hundred years. Robert
i looked all over the wed for a miracle fruit plant. all of the other websites that had them were $40+. it also has the most different types of plants. logees is the best.